NEW DELHI: The government has started full-fledged preparations for the Republic Day parade on Kartavya Path, the revamped and renamed Rajpath. However, unlike earlier times when the entire stretch and all its lawns used to be closed for nearly two-and-a-half months, this time it may be out of bounds for public for a maximum of 3-4 weeks, thanks to the new seating arrangement that the Central Public Works Department has brought in for this celebration at the heart of the national capital.Sources said bleachers or tier stands with capacity of over 40,000, including the newly procured collapsible ones, are being fixed along the Kartavya Path for the guests and visitors. Since these are easy to install and dismantle, the preparations can go on even when people are visiting the revamped area. “Earlier, it used to be a long affair and hence the area had to be closed. Now it hardly takes a few days to install the bleachers and hence we are not stopping people from visiting Kartavya Path,” said an official. This will be the first Republic Day Parade on Kartavya Path, the new avatar of Rajpath. The visitors will also have access to the newly created public convenience complexes, in place of makeshift ones, along the lawns, which were not available earlier. CPWD officials said they are using customised containers along the canals for setting up offices of departments and ministries, including the security forces. Earlier, wooden structures or porta cabins used to be placed for this purpose and the new ones have a swankier look. They added that there would be no parking issue as the parking lots developed along the canals would be available. Officials said nearly a dozen large LED screens would be installed along the Kartavya Path for the visitors.TOI has learnt that while the government is adopting the conventional method of making the ceremonial saluting dais for this Republic Day, the defence ministry is piloting the idea to have a pre-fabricated dais in future so that the inconvenience to public would be less.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/r-day-kartavya-path-out-of-bounds-for-3-4-weeks/articleshow/96407893.cms